Washington coach Barry Trotz spent most of his last post-practice press conference discussing injuries rather than the banged-up Capitals' next opponent.
Center Jay Beagle and defenseman Brooks Orpik will be out, but defenseman Mike Green could play as Washington looks to avoid dropping a seventh straight meeting with the visiting Dallas Stars on Friday night.
Beagle suffered an...

Dateline – [January 29, 2008.]
Brooks Orpik played on the fourth line because Michel Therrien was sick of him. Kind of amazing to think Orpik turned it around and has now made about 50 million playing defense.
Pens won the game that night. [ When in Rome. Pens win ]

WASHINGTON (AP) Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik will skate during warmups Thursday to determine if he will play in the Winter Classic
Orpik didn't practice Wednesday as the team went through its paces on the outdoor rink at Nationals Park. He injured his right knee Monday night against the New York Islanders.
Coach Barry Trotz said Orpik was doing better and that there...

The Washington Capitals could be without defenseman Brooks Orpik for the Winter Classic on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Orpik injured his right knee Monday night against the New York Islanders. Capitals coach Barry Trotz says Orpik's availability will be a game-time decision. Orpik says he was feeling better Tuesday, but the injury is more painful than previous knee...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) The Washington Capitals could be without defenseman Brooks Orpik for the Winter Classic on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Orpik injured his right knee Monday night against the New York Islanders. Capitals coach Barry Trotz says Orpik's availability will be a game-time decision. Orpik says he was feeling better Tuesday, but the injury is more painful...

Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen and Todd Reirden all return to CEC today for the first time since the summer of the shake-up.Reirden was a fixture in the Pens' organization since 2008 when he joined the WBS Pens coaching staff. He made his way to the NHL behind the bench in 2010 and stayed there until he became part of the collateral damage from Bylsma's firing. The former NHL defenseman...

Josh Yohe interviewed Brooks Oprik, and Orpik said some weird things. [ TRIB ]
“There was something not right last year,” said Orpik, 34. “I guess stale is a good word. Something needed to change. I thought guys were affected by the outside pressure. There is a standard in Pittsburgh that is tough. We’d win games, and people would still be criticizing us. People were saying...

"I grew up a fan of the game. When I see the fans, I reflect back on my youth and the guys that played the game that took time for me. It's our duty, our responsibility," Brooks Orpik told Caps Outsider.

Merely 24 hours after a 4-3 loss in Tampa Bay, the Washington Capitals were brought to their knees in a 6-5 loss to the Arizona Coyotes Sunday night. The loss slipped right through Washington’s fingers, as a 3-1 lead dissolved before the team’s eyes.
Washington came out strong in their Nov. 2 contest against Arizona. Led by Tom Wilson, fresh off an ankle injury, Nicklaus Backstrom...

Surprisingly, the Capitals’ game against the Calgary Flames last night was very chippy. Toward the end of the second period, the Capitals were up 2-1. The Flames cleared the puck into the Caps’ zone. Flames forward, Josh Jooris tried to pass the puck to one of his teammates, but Brooks Orpik wasn’t going to let that happen. Orpik came from behind to knock Jooris off his skates...

Saw this and it looks weird:
#Caps training camp's underway. Finallyyyyy. pic.twitter.com/jjD3OWeT96
— RMNB (@russianmachine) September 19, 2014
Orpik was a minus 5, and his a number in terms of advanced stats was negative 60 or something.

One way or another, the red will rock in DC.#159184798 / gettyimages.comHello! This will be a synoptic feature Mon-Sat the next five weeks to gear up for the start of the 2014-'15 season. We're going in reverse alphabetical order and alternating between the Eastern and Western Conferences, because why not?Washington CapitalsReviewRoster changes, IN: D Matt Niskanen, D Brooks...

From DKOnPittsburghSports:
Anyone who thought the Capitals overpaid for Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik or both, know this: Both were offered more money by other teams, Niskanen by the Red Wings, Orpik by the Avalanche. The common denominator in bringing them together in Washington was Todd Reirden, their defensive coach in Pittsburgh. Really popular figure with all those guys. Worked...

I’ll never forget the day then-Penguins GM Craig Patrick chose defenseman Brooks Orpik with the 18th overall pick at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Having been fed a steady diet of Robert Domes, Milan Krafts, and Konstantin Koltzovs the selection of Orpik signaled an abrupt change in the Pens’ drafting philosophy.
“In the past, we haven’t emphasized the toughness as much,” head...

Getty Images
By: Ryan Kiray (@RyanK_THG)
Day one of the 2014 free agency period was absolute mayhem. As per usual, multiple free agents were offered ridiculous terms at unbelievable dollar figures. Others settled for more reasonable dollar figures and others, we are looking at you, Brad Richards, settled for startlingly low deals in an attempt to re-establish themselves as top...

Out of everyone who left on Tuesday, this one leaves a mark. And it’s not because it means the Pens are doomed. They’re not doomed; it’s time for the young defensemen to get a shot. Orpik signing with the Capitals isn’t what makes it leave a mark, either.
It stings because Orpik was our last connection to the truly Dark Ages. And now he’s gone. A quick look back at Orpik’s...

Mere hours after signing Brooks Orpik away from their rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a five-year, $27.5M deal, the Capitals were back at it. Now they’ve signed former Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen, who had his best season as a pro last year, to a seven-year, $40.25M deal.
Niskanen posted career highs with 10 goals, 36 assists, 46 total points, and a +33 rating that was...

The Washington Capitals kept at their big spending pace as the afternoon turned to evening and they nabbed possibly the biggest defeseman in free agency with Matt Niskanen. This is the second Pittsburgh Penguins blue liner that they signed today (Brooks Orpik).
Capitals sign Matt Niskanen to 7-year deal worth $40.25 million. #SNSigningSeason http://t.co/jMn0KjyJcg pic.twitter.com...

The Washington Capitals inked former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik to a 5 year/27.5 million dollar deal (photo courtesy of ESPN)
July 1st marks 99 days till Opening Day of the 2014-2015 NHL Season, and the Washington Capitals have made a pretty big splash adding former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, officially reuniting him with new assistant head coach...

Brooks Orpik has signed a contract with the Washington Capitals. In 11 seasons with the Penguins, Orpik had 132 points in 703 games, and a career plus/minus rating of plus-32. He has also represented the United States twice in the Olympics, winning bronze in 2010. Follow me on twitter, @StevenEllisNHL.

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!

Company Info

Help

What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.